Wrenching Fate (15 page)

“She
was
useful,” the FBI agent argued. “We got a confirmation on the girl’s name
and
her inhuman strength.”

“Yeah, and a bunch of mumbo jumbo about her being possessed by Satan,” Milbury growled. “The bitch clawed me up too. I can’t believe they let her run a foster home for twenty years before she was busted.”

“Strange world, huh,” Holmes replied. “You’re healing alright, though. Anyway, Akasha allegedly lived with this guy until he was busted for operating a chop shop within his restoration business. He may be a criminal, but the reports indicate he’s sane.”

The doors to the visitation room opened. A large man in a standard orange jumpsuit was led in by two guards. Milbury suppressed a shudder. The man’s wild gray hair and unkempt beard reminded him of a grizzly
bear. Their eyes met, and the Major was unnerved to see intelligence glint in his eyes. He seemed to know why they were here.

“Max Gunderson,” Holmes began when they were seated at the small table. “I am Agent Joe Holmes, FBI. This is
Major Francis Milbury. We’re here to ask you a few questions.”

A hint of fear flickered in his gaze when Max heard their titles. He quickly hid it with a smirk. “The military
and
the Feds workin’ together? Now this must be somethin’ special. Don’t think I’d be any help though. I don’t know any terrorists or nothin’.”

Milbury opened a briefcase and showed him their most recent photo of Akasha around age ten. “We understand you were living with this girl illegally before you were arrested. Now she was probably a bit older then, but I’m sure you recognize her.”

The man opened his mouth, but Holmes cut him off. “Don’t bother lying. We have numerous witness reports confirming that Akasha Hope O’Reilly was in your home for approximately four years before your arrest. I hear you have a parole hearing coming up,” he added with a glacial smile. “If you cooperate, we can make sure it goes well.”

Max drummed his fingers on the table, shoulders straight and defiant. “So, I harbored a runaway. So fucking what?
It was nothing perverted like you seem to be implying. The foster home she left was run by a psycho. So I took her in and had her help me out at my shop. Charge me if ya want.”

“Do you have any idea where she is?” Milbury asked, grimacing at the horrible taste of the prison coffee.

“I ain’t seen that kid since I got busted. She could be anywhere.” Max looked down at his plastic sandals as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. Of course in this bland room, perhaps they were.

Milbury could sense the man was hiding something. He leaned over to Holmes and whispered, “Show him the pictures, Joe.”

“Are you sure?” Holmes asked. His cheery smile vanished.

“Just do it!” Francis snarled.

Agent Holmes laid out the glossy photos of the murdered rapist. The prisoner looked at them and Milbury felt a little thrill when Max’s expression changed from curious confusion to horrified revulsion.

“We have reason to believe ‘that kid’ did this,” Milbury said slowly, relishing the taunt.

Max’s face turned ashen. “No. She couldn’t have,” he gulped. “What proof do you have?”

“The blood, hair, and hymeneal tissue we found indicates a match,” Holmes answered in his usual irritating know-it-all tone.

“Shut up!” Milbury snapped. But the damage had been done.

“Hymeneal tissue? You mean he… Oh God!” Max buried his face in his hands. “She’s alive, isn’t she? You bastards aren’t screwing with me are you?”

“Thanks a lot, Joe,” Milbury muttered. The idiot contaminated the witness…and Holmes was
FBI
, for Christ’s sake.

“No other bodies have been found, Mr. Gunderson,” Holmes assured him in a sickening gentle voice. “We have reason to believe Akasha is alive. We need to question her about this incident. We just want to help. So please, please tell us if you know anything.”

“I don’t know shit.” Max growled, looking sick to his stomach. “How can I? I’ve been locked up.”

A cell phone bleated. Holmes fished it out and answered.

“If you’re lying, we
will
find out.” Milbury assured him.

Holmes hung up the phone with a happy-ass grin on his face. “That’s enough for today, Mr. Gunderson. We’ll contact you later.” He gave Milbury a triumphant look. They must have received good news at last.

They were almost out of the prison before Holmes whispered, “I may have found her.”

Milbury’s pulse leapt in his throat. “Where is she?”

“In Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She was a ward of the state until recently.”

“At twenty years old? How the hell is that possible?”

Holmes was still wearing his shit-eating grin. “Well, when we were getting nowhere finding her through police reports and court records, I started thinking. Since Akasha never had a birth certificate, she had no way of proving her age so maybe the state authorities assumed her to be younger than she was.” He shrugged. “Or maybe Akasha herself lied about her age to stay under the radar after she murdered that rapist. So I did some looking around and I found an Akasha Hope, aged seventeen, enrolled in Coeur d’Alene High School and taking part in dual enrollment at the community college. As I said, she’d been a ward of the state, living in a group home until October when she was assigned a legal guardian.”

Milbury tried
to control his excitement. “We have a location for her?”

Holmes shook his head. “That’s the thing, for some reason that information was sealed, but give me some time and I’ll get it.”

***

Max gazed up at the stained ceiling of his cell as he prayed that Akasha was alive and
safe. The knowledge that she had been raped made his heart freeze and his stomach turn to acid. If the son of a bitch weren’t already dead, he’d bust out of here and do it himself.

His gut gave another heave. And those damn government spooks were after her, too. If only Akasha was psychic on top of having superhuman strength. He wished he could warn her, but his next parole hearing was three months away. Even then he had no idea where she was.

Max clenched his fists at the thought of the spooks. They said they wanted to “help her.”
Bull shit!

“Please let Akasha be okay, Lord,” he prayed fervently. “She’s the only daughter I’ve ever had.”

Akasha awoke smiling as she inhaled Silas’s scent in the sheets. His lovemaking had been a revelation. So much mistrust and pain had been undone with every touch of his lips and body. She was a new woman.

A woman who could trust. A woman in love
.

“I’m in love with a vampire,” she whispered with a grin. She shook her head. “It’s like a dark fairy tale.”

Dragging her sated and slightly sore body out of bed, Akasha gasped when she saw what was left on the nightstand.

An open jewelry box revealed an antique silver necklace. A teardrop amethyst the size of her thumb was the pendant. The chain links were simple, elegant Celtic knots. With shaking hands she picked it up. In her hands it was more substantial than its meager weight. Akasha had never owned jewelry before. The fact that Silas gave her such a priceless piece made her struggle to hold back tears and giddy squeals all at once.

“Dammit! He’s turning me into one of those love-crazed women already!” she grumbled, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she dashed into the bathroom to try it on.

A gasp of mortification escaped her at the sight of her reflection. Her hair was gnarled and frizzed into a million directions, her lips were swollen from kissing, eyes puffy from crying, and worst of all, her neck was almost completely blue and purple with hickeys. Buried within the darkest one were the puncture wounds from Silas’s fangs.

He can’t see me like this!
Akasha darted back into the bedroom, scooped up her dress and fled to her room. The bedside clock read 2:09. She had time to undo the damage. She quickly showered, being extra liberal with the conditioner. Still, it took an eternity to get the tangles out of her curls. She donned black corduroy jeans and a turtleneck to hide the mess of her neck.

After yanking on her work boots, she returned to the bathroom to put on makeup. The necklace gleamed next to the sink. With some awkward maneuvering, she fastened it around her neck. Though it clashed with the casual outfit, it was still exquisite.

Akasha went downstairs, grabbed a bagel, and nearly jumped out of her skin when the phone rang. It was the Dodge dealership. The radiator for Silas’s ‘Cuda, Black Sunshine, was in. She had forgotten all about it.

Two hours later she was peacefully ensconced in the garage, lifting the old radiator, coolant drained, out of the Barracuda.
Black Sabbath
blared from the radio.

“How is Silas’s pet this evening?” Razvan’s voice rumbled behind her.

Akasha dropped the radiator on her toe. “Fuck! Don’t do that, asshole. You’re lucky I wasn’t holding a transmission.”

“Tsk. Tsk…such language for such a pretty young thing.” The vampire stepped closer and peered under the hood of the car. “What exactly are you doing with your master’s conveyance?”

Akasha grabbed a beer from her mini fridge and took swig, trying to control her irritation. She hated being interrupted when she was working. The fact that it was the obnoxious Razvan goaded her worse. She turned down the radio.

“I was replacing his radiator before you so rudely snuck up on me.” She glared at him.

He cocked his head to the side. “Why were you replacing it?”

“It was leaking.” Akasha rolled her eyes as she stated the obvious.

Razvan smiled. “Ah. Then you are a very good pet. Perhaps I should get one like you to take care of my vehicle when I procure one.”

“I’m no one’s pet, jackass,” she snarled. Her hand reached across the workbench to grasp her breaker bar.

“Oh, but you are. His Mark beats strongly upon you.” Razvan crept closer and tugged down her turtleneck with a fingertip. “I see you obeyed him and revealed your secrets.” He leaned in closer to whisper, “And he bedded you as well.”

The thought that this dickhead knew about the sacred and intimate moments she’d spent with Silas made her shake with anger and humiliation. She wanted to grab him by the goatee and tear the mocking smile off his face.

She raised the breaker bar, and he backed off.

“Easy, my beauty,” he said with uncharacteristic gentleness. “I was only having a little fun. I do think highly of you Akasha, I swear it on my parents’ grav
e and brother’s honor. Silas could not have found a more worthy woman.”

Akasha was tempted to call bullshit, but the pain that slashed across his face when he mentioned his family stopped her.

“How do vampires have family?” she asked.

Razvan sighed. “My father was a powerful Lord Vampire. He openly ruled a village in Romania and fell in love with a human woman. She refused to become his Lady because she wanted children. So Father went to the poorest section of the village to bring her a child. In those days if a peasant woman had twins, one was taken outside and left to die, for the couple would be unable to feed both. Father took me from the cold ground, then, for some reason he entered the house and bribed the couple for Radu as well.”

“What happened to your parents?” Akasha found herself carried away by his tale, told with feeling in his rich velvet accent. His liquid black eyes were intent with barely suppressed emotion.

“Something happened to make the villagers fear us,” Razvan answered distantly. “Radu and I also had a quarrel. I left the area to think and sulk. They burned the castle during the day with our mother and father trapped inside. When I returned, I saw my parents’ charred remains, but no sign of Radu. I’ve searched for him for centuries.”

Akasha’s eyes widened in comprehension. “Silas told me that’s why you Changed him. You wanted him to find Radu.”

He nodded. “Yes, but even with his immense powers he failed to find my brother, though he verified that Radu still lives. And for that comfort I owe Silas everything. That is why I will do anything I can to make sure he is not punished by the Elders. That is why I have to know all your secrets, Akasha. I need to prove to them that nothing is happening which could put our kind at risk.” Razvan smiled suddenly, wickedness returning to his gaze. “But… if you could refrain from informing Silas that I am on his side for a little longer, I would much appreciate it.”

“You know Razvan,” Akasha eyed him speculatively as she crushed her beer can. “You’re not half bad when you’re not being an ass.”

He offered his hand in a truce and after a moment’s hesitation, she took it. “You will turn a man’s head with that kind of talk.”

“What are ye doon, holdin’ hands with ma woman?” Silas demanded as he entered the garage.

“Relax, McNaught. We were coming to an understanding. I don’t want her throwing me through any more windows,” Razvan assured him with a light chuckle.

Silas embraced Akasha and claimed her lips in a mind-blowing kiss. His eyes searched hers, full of concern. “Are you well, lass?”

“Yeah.” She found herself tongue-tied and her stomach wouldn’t stop fluttering at the sight of him.
This is love.

He fingered the necklace, making her skin tingle. “Do you like it?”

“Very much,” she whispered, fighting the urge to throw herself in his arms.

He smiled down at her. “It was my mother’s. I can’t wait to see how it sets off…more pleasant attire.”

“With the mess you made of her neck, I think she’s ‘setting it off’ quite nicely,” Razvan interjected.

“Shut up!” Akasha hissed, but it was too late. Silas peeled down the neck of her shirt.

His brows knit in dismay. “Oh lass, I am sorry. I forgot to heal the wound, and as for the rest…” The guilt in his eyes made her chest tighten. “Did I hurt you?”

“No! It was…” She looked at Razvan and her face flooded with heat. Even her ears burned. They may have a truce, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to know about her sex life.

Razvan laughed at her embarrassment. “Such modesty in these times is refreshing.” He turned to Silas. “Now, did you feed well enough to reveal to me what you’ve learned about her?”

Silas nodded. “Yes, I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Wait a minute,” Akasha froze as panic washed over her. “Are you actually going to show him… everything?”

“I’m sorry, lass. I have to.” Silas’s eyes were warm with sympathy. “Razvan will only put what is necessary in his report. Won’t you, Nicolae?” He fixed his maker with a glare.

Razvan inclined his head respectfully. “I swear it. I would not have it done this way if it were possible, but the situation with the Elders is so serious that only indisputable truth will be accepted.”

“This shouldn’t take long, my love.” Silas kissed her and the two vampires left the garage.

Fuck.
Soon Razvan would know everything about her. It was an uncomfortable thought, to say the least. Akasha opened another beer and went back to work on the car, turned on some AC/DC and did her best to not think about it.

***

Razvan cursed in Romanian as he wiped Silas’s blood from his lips. “So much pain for one so young. Now I know why her mind is like iron. Still, the reason for her physical abilities is unclear.”

“Yes, and I will die before I allow her to suffer ever again,” Silas growled. “Were you able to contact Delgarias?”

Razvan shook his head. “He has seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth as is his habit.” His expression was solemn as he pretended to study the various swords hanging on the walls of Silas’s office. “I think you should be prepared for the likelihood that we won’t find him in time.”

“Damn it!” Silas said as he paced the confines of his office. He rubbed his temples in an effort to subdue a coming headache. “If that ends up being the case, what are you going to tell the Elders?”

“I don’t know yet.” Razvan sighed and sat down in a chair near the desk. “I still need more information to satisfy them. We need to know more about those uniformed men who killed her parents, why they did it, and if they are still looking for Akasha. Not only that, but we need to know more about Xochitl. Without Delgarias to back us up, it is doubtful the Elders will believe she’s the daughter of our mythical creator.”

“I’ll tell you what I can about her, but I don’t know much,” Silas said. “As for who is after Akasha, I think I have an idea. But first, I need to feed. Please, guard my love while I am gone?”